Dog Advice- Husky in a Lab Home

John Hanson said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky?

Not unless one is unusually aggressive.

Quoted message said:

Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt?

I very sincerely doubt it, but you may want to start your dog sled
team now.

Your biggest problem will be taking the Lab hunting and leaving the
Husky behind; it's likely to get all bent out of shape because it
can't go, too.

Quoted message said:

Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands?

They will learn from each other. Each will tend to mimic the behavior
of the other dog when it sees there is a positive payoff. The burden
is on you to equally reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.

--

JMW
http://www.rustyiron.net

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 23:52:26 -0500, JMW <[email hidden]> wrote in
misc.fitness.weights:

Quoted message said:

John Hanson said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky?

Not unless one is unusually aggressive.

Quoted message said:

Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt?

I very sincerely doubt it, but you may want to start your dog sled
team now.

Your biggest problem will be taking the Lab hunting and leaving the
Husky behind; it's likely to get all bent out of shape because it
can't go, too.

That is what I was afraid of. I've heard that Huskies can be pretty
good flushing dogs but worthless for retrieving.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands?

They will learn from each other. Each will tend to mimic the behavior
of the other dog when it sees there is a positive payoff. The burden
is on you to equally reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.

You've said just what I suspected.

John Hanson said:

JMW <[email hidden]> wrote in

Quoted message said:

John Hanson said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend

as

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky?

Not unless one is unusually aggressive.

Same sex? Opposite sex? Can make a difference sometimes.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt?

I very sincerely doubt it, but you may want to start your dog sled
team now.

Some interesting experiments have been done with dog breeds and the
jobs they were bred to do. In one, a very bright, trainable Doberman
was taught to herd sheep. He did it about as well as a retarded Border
Collie. Genetics rule!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Your biggest problem will be taking the Lab hunting and leaving the
Husky behind; it's likely to get all bent out of shape because it
can't go, too.

That is what I was afraid of. I've heard that Huskies can be pretty
good flushing dogs but worthless for retrieving.

Maybe not worthless, but, compared to a Lab, pretty much so.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands?

They will learn from each other. Each will tend to mimic the

behavior

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of the other dog when it sees there is a positive payoff. The

burden

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is on you to equally reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.

You've said just what I suspected.

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

David

John Hanson said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky? Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt? Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands? The Husky is about a year old I believe. My Lab will be
2 next month.

TIA

It'll teach the lab to shed twice a year. And lick. A lot.

--
spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/

David Cohen said:

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

Is a Husky good with kids the way a Lab is? Someone was just telling me
how she used to wander in the woods for hours with her German shepherd
and she said she knew she could just order the dog home if they got lost.

I tried to imagine my Lab doing that. Nope. Then I tried to imagine
what would happen if Timmy fell in a well. "What's that you say, Girl,
Timmy isn't available to feed you and you want Food?"

I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

Delenn

On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 09:56:06 -0500, Delenn <[email hidden]> wrote
in misc.fitness.weights:

Quoted message said:

David Cohen said:

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

Is a Husky good with kids the way a Lab is? Someone was just telling me
how she used to wander in the woods for hours with her German shepherd
and she said she knew she could just order the dog home if they got lost.

I did just that with Buddy in Chegwatana when I couldn't remember
which side trail we had come from. I told Buddy to "go to the truck"
and he started down one trail at the fork. I didn't think that was it
so I kept going. After looking at my GPS after about 100 feet, I
confirmed it was the trail Buddy had started down.

Quoted message said:

I tried to imagine my Lab doing that. Nope. Then I tried to imagine
what would happen if Timmy fell in a well. "What's that you say, Girl,
Timmy isn't available to feed you and you want Food?"

I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

I thought that about Buddy when I could only get him to fetch a bottle
of beer about half way to me before he dropped it on the floor and
started looking for his treat.

On 26 Mar 2005 00:53:57 -0800, "David Cohen" <[email hidden]>
wrote in misc.fitness.weights:

Quoted message said:

John Hanson said:

JMW <[email hidden]> wrote in

Quoted message said:

John Hanson <[email hidden]> wrote:
>I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend

as

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
>problem with me having a Lab and a Husky?

Not unless one is unusually aggressive.

Same sex? Opposite sex? Can make a difference sometimes.

Not sure. I know it won't be a problem with the Lab.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>Can a Husky be taught to
>bird hunt?

I very sincerely doubt it, but you may want to start your dog sled
team now.

Some interesting experiments have been done with dog breeds and the
jobs they were bred to do. In one, a very bright, trainable Doberman
was taught to herd sheep. He did it about as well as a retarded Border
Collie. Genetics rule!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Your biggest problem will be taking the Lab hunting and leaving the
Husky behind; it's likely to get all bent out of shape because it
can't go, too.

That is what I was afraid of. I've heard that Huskies can be pretty
good flushing dogs but worthless for retrieving.

Maybe not worthless, but, compared to a Lab, pretty much so.

I guess that won't be a problem as Buddy is more than capable in that
department.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
>to commands?

They will learn from each other. Each will tend to mimic the

behavior

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of the other dog when it sees there is a positive payoff. The

burden

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is on you to equally reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.

You've said just what I suspected.

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

That's the other thing. My son is moving out with his girlfriend so
Buddy will be alone during the day. This way, he'll have a companion.

As far as listening to commands, I'm more concerned about the Husky
running off while on walks in the Ravine Park (very large park with
miles of trails and is very wooded) by my house. I don't leash Buddy
and he is free to roam about but does return right away when I call
him. This is usually when we meet someone else on a walk and then
I'll leash him usually. He's so big that he can be very intimidating
even with the Gomer Pyle "ah shucks" look on his face when he spots
them.

David Cohen said:

John Hanson said:

JMW <[email hidden]> wrote in

Quoted message said:

They will learn from each other. Each will tend to mimic the
behavior of the other dog when it sees there is a positive
payoff. The burden is on you to equally reward good behavior
and punish bad behavior.

You've said just what I suspected.

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

I agree. The differences in two dogs can be complimentary, and they
can still be great companions, not only for you, but also for each
other.

When we had our previous German Shepherd, along with our Chesapeake
Bay Retriever, the Shep was the most aggressive, even though the
Chessie outweighed her by 20+ pounds. We would take them out to the
Izaak Walton League woods and let them run together. The Shep would
chase the Chessie mercilessly, grabbing his collar with her teeth and
trying to wrestle him. When he got tired of it, he would just jump
into the pond and stare at her, knowing damn well that she wouldn't
follow him in. It was funny as hell ... him standing in the pond,
staring at her, and her barking at him, demanding that he get out.
--

JMW
http://www.rustyiron.net

John Hanson said:

As far as listening to commands, I'm more concerned about the Husky
running off while on walks in the Ravine Park (very large park with
miles of trails and is very wooded) by my house. I don't leash Buddy
and he is free to roam about but does return right away when I call
him. This is usually when we meet someone else on a walk and then
I'll leash him usually. He's so big that he can be very intimidating
even with the Gomer Pyle "ah shucks" look on his face when he spots
them.

Leash the Husky until it learns proper behavior from the Lab. We
frequently walk our dogs through the college campus adjacent to our
home. The Chessie has gone without leash for a long time, but we had
to leash the Shep/Lab until she learned what was acceptable behavior.
Most of the college students want to pet them; they miss their own
dogs.
--

JMW
http://www.rustyiron.net

"Delenn" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

David Cohen said:

John's entirely correct. But I don't think it should prevent you from
taking in the dog. It's not gonna' help you hunt, but it can hang out
and drink beer with the hunters while the Lab does the work. They could
be good company for each other. Huskies tend to be a lot more
independent, somewhat aloof, not the in-your-face-lick-lick-lick like
the Lab, but nice dogs.

Is a Husky good with kids the way a Lab is?

No. Not usually. Few breeds are.

Huskies...all the Northern spitz-type dogs, for that matter...are usually a
lot more, uh, demonstrative, than other breeds.

Less generously, they can be big crybabies, and won't suffer the slings and
arrows of outrageous kids for long. More prone to get up and walk away from
the annoyance, rather than the Lab's sit-there-and-take-it.

Quoted message said:

Someone was just telling me how she used to wander in the woods for hours
with her German shepherd and she said she knew she could just order the
dog home if they got lost.

I tried to imagine my Lab doing that. Nope. Then I tried to imagine what
would happen if Timmy fell in a well. "What's that you say, Girl, Timmy
isn't available to feed you and you want Food?"

I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

Dogs serve a purpose as important to Man as a tribble...a loving companion.
The rewards, in improved health, increased longevity, and psychological
well-being, are priceless.

David

"John Hanson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky? Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt? Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands? The Husky is about a year old I believe. My Lab will be
2 next month.

TIA

I've had a German Shep, 2 Labs and a Siberian. (Not all at the same time)
The Husky was a beautiful animal, but the only one that I was never able to
train to do much of anything. I wouldn't say it was stupid, but definitely
more aloof and not at all interested in pleasing people. I would guess that
Buddy is going to be giving you a lot of "I can't believe he's doing that!"
looks.

Husky's have a reputation for a sensitive stomach. It becomes more
apparent as they age. We have a half husky-half lab. The undesirable
traits are moderated but I don't think she would have made a good gun dog.
She tends to hunt by sight.

"John Hanson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky? Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt? Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands? The Husky is about a year old I believe. My Lab will be
2 next month.

TIA

John Hanson said:

On 26 Mar 2005 00:53:57 -0800, "David Cohen" <[email hidden]>
wrote in misc.fitness.weights:> >

Quoted message said:

John Hanson said:

JMW <[email hidden]> wrote in
>John Hanson <[email hidden]> wrote:
>>I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's
>> girlfriend as she is moving out of town and so are her parents.
>> Anyone see a problem with me having a Lab and a Husky?
>
>Not unless one is unusually aggressive.

Same sex? Opposite sex? Can make a difference sometimes.

Not sure. I know it won't be a problem with the Lab.

Depending on whether the new dog is a male or female, and
neutered/spayed or not, this could cause major territorial problems,
especially if one is fixed & the other dog isnt. You have to remember
too that the Lab thinks it is the darling of the family and gets all
your attention so introducing a new dog, could cause a major dog fight
to break out to show who dominates who. If the new dog lives close by
now, I would have them initially bring it over to a neutral territory
like the local park, for a 'dog meeting' and see how they take to each
other. Then try bringing it over to your house on your own dogs
territory to see again if they get along ok. Try feeding them together
while they are there, playing etc. A few trial days would tell you now
whether they will take to each other instead of later when everyone is
moved and you are stuck with two dogs who hate each other.
http://www.hswaynepets.org/health/dogs/introducing.htm

<<joni>>

*who used to own various dogs with an exspouse - from german shepards,
dobermans, and labs or muttlies, to pitbulls and now likes cats better*
;-)

David Cohen said:

"Delenn" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

Dogs serve a purpose as important to Man as a tribble...a loving companion.
The rewards, in improved health, increased longevity, and psychological
well-being, are priceless.

<snifff> That was lovely. You're such a sensitive new-age guy. :-)

Delenn

Thanks for the advice everyone. We decided not to take in the dog.
There is a home for it but it's located in North Dakota. She wanted
it closer so she could visit it more often but it will have a lot of
room to roam in ND.

I was planning on getting another Lab in about 3 years and didn't want
to have 3 large dogs. Plus, with the Husky being 1 1/2 years old,
both dogs will be passing within a couple of years of each other if
not sooner and that would be quite difficult, I'm sure.

Delenn said:

David Cohen said:

"Delenn" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

Dogs serve a purpose as important to Man as a tribble...a loving

companion.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The rewards, in improved health, increased longevity, and

psychological

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

well-being, are priceless.

<snifff> That was lovely. You're such a sensitive new-age guy. :-)

True.

Helps get me laid.

David

"David Cohen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Delenn said:

David Cohen said:

"Delenn" <[email hidden]> wrote

>I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a tribble.

Dogs serve a purpose as important to Man as a tribble...a loving

companion.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The rewards, in improved health, increased longevity, and

psychological

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

well-being, are priceless.

<snifff> That was lovely. You're such a sensitive new-age guy. :-)

True.

Helps get me laid.

David

Then where does $50 come into the picture?

Can't really answer your questions, but I had a Husky-Lab mix (all black
except a dime sized white spot on chest and 1 white toe) that was one of the
finest dogs I've ever met. She got the good of both breeds - great
disposition, great in the snow (it was South Dakota) and somewhat small in
size 47lbs at full grown. She wasn't trained for hunting, but she seemed to
have a pretty strong natural urge to flush animals. An incredibly athletic
dog (jumped 5 ft fence in yard with little effort). The only drawback was
the constant desire to dig. My understanding is that was the Husky. A
segment of my yard looked ready for WWI re-enactment. Trenches and holes
everywhere.

Big Chris

John Hanson said:

I've been asked to take in a Husky by my youngest son's girlfriend as
she is moving out of town and so are her parents. Anyone see a
problem with me having a Lab and a Husky? Can a Husky be taught to
bird hunt? Will the Husky teach the Lab bad habits i.e. not listening
to commands? The Husky is about a year old I believe. My Lab will be
2 next month.

TIA

David said:

"David Cohen" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Delenn said:

David Cohen wrote:
> "Delenn" <[email hidden]> wrote
>>I love my Lab but sometimes she seems about as useful as a

tribble.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
> Dogs serve a purpose as important to Man as a tribble...a

loving

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

companion.

Quoted message said:

> The rewards, in improved health, increased longevity, and

psychological

Quoted message said:

> well-being, are priceless.

<snifff> That was lovely. You're such a sensitive new-age guy.

:-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

True.

Helps get me laid.

Then where does $50 come into the picture?

After. The gratuity. Las Vegas is a tip intensive town.

David